Panasonic VIERA TX-P55VT65B Pro Reviews

The Panasonic TX-P55VT65B is an utterly outstanding plasma television, which we have essentially no qualms about awarding a “Reference Level” rating to. The fact that this level of picture quality can be made this affordable, rather than being reserved only for the highest-end, is a true triumph of engineering. Basically every single box is ticked by the VT65 series: insanely deep blacks that are almost (almost!) too dark to measure with scientific-grade equipment, bright whites, high gradation, freedom from viewing angle restrictions, low input lag for gaming, and of course, a boatload of usability features like the slick, responsive Smart TV platform and dual tuners. Oh, and did we mention the potentially sublime level of colour accuracy?

The Panasonic TX-P55VT65B isn’t the slimmest of flagship TVs but it’s still a beauty and the reason for the added girth lies in practicalities as it houses front-firing speakers and hides the built-in camera. The speakers themselves are very impressive for a flat panel TV and we’ve no problem in having a relatively solid black bezel framing our pictures. A warm welcome awaits users in the shape of the new My Home Screen which provides the dual benefits of almost infinite customisability and refined navigation, thanks to some clever design choices. The new Panasonic options menus are more sprawling than in previous years and there’s a lot more by ways of unnecessary picture controls but we’re not complaining too vociferously given the inclusion of a fabulous suite of calibration options therein.